Doctor: Summer rain could lead to bad allergy season

by Chelsea Washington

Dr. Tim Trojan doesn't mean to be the bearer of bad news but at the Oklahoma Institute for Allergy and Asthma they are already gearing up an influx of patients."We've gotten so much rainfall over the summer that's made the grass season continue on through most of the summer most of times it gets really hot here and we kill off everything so it stops pollinating, said Trojan.And don't just blame it on the rain, says Trojan, some other factors include mold and that good old polar vortex."We saw this especially in the east coast with kind of really late strong pollen season and here it's definitely affected it just because our overall patterns are different," said Trojan. As Billy Cavenee knows, there comes a time when nasal rinses and over the counter tablets simply aren't enough, he sought help from a specialist when his allergies began to take over his life."I thought I'm just going to try it and when I did I found out everything I was allergic too and the treatments it just freed me, said Cavenee. Trojan says the key for many patients is immunotherapy. "We typically conduct skin testing on people's backs and look for things that have reactivity, based on that pattern of reactivity that an individual has we then go and look at formulas from studies to say this is how much pollen or how dander you need in order to change your allergic profile," said Trojan. Customized injections are then given to patients which take time to work but some folks see results after only two visits. "I use to wear a mask to mow my lawn, you know, and now I don't have to worry about anything just as long as I'm not late for my shots," said Cavenee. The doctor also says if you normally don't begin taking your allergy meds until labor day to get a head start by taking them now.